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Sapporo Noah’s Ark

This izakaya restaurant was designed to look like the Biblical vessel.

Sapporo, Japan

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daniellovins
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
  daniellovins / Atlas Obscura User
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Designed by British artist Nigel Coates, this restaurant along the Sōsei river in Sapporo appears from certain angles as a hulking mass of concrete. On closer inspection, it turns out to be a model of Noah’s ark. The Biblical narrative of the Flood is related on the facade in English, Latin, Chinese, and Hebrew.

Inside are whimsical murals of animals that might have found shelter inside the boat. As for food, items are brought out in steaming baskets and cooked on a charcoal fired grill at the center of your table.

Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the fish on a recent visit were brought out in sets of two...

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Architectural Oddities Biblical Restaurants

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daniellovins

Published

October 22, 2025

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